Russia's military aggression against Ukraine continues.



Fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces continues across Ukraine, forcing thousands of civilians to flee the country.

We will keep you updated on developments in the Ukraine situation on the 20th (Japan time), such as the battle situation and the diplomacy of the countries concerned.



(There is a time difference of 6 hours between Japan and Ukraine and Moscow, Russia)

Russian government-affiliated company announces temporary suspension of natural gas supply to Germany

According to the announcement of the Russian government-affiliated gas company "Gazprom", the supply of gas by Nord Stream will be suspended for three days from the 31st of this month to the 2nd of next month due to the inspection of the facilities on the Russian side that sends out natural gas. I'm here.



Nord Stream's gas supply was halted last month for routine inspections and then restarted, but is currently at about 20% of normal capacity.



Gazprom said that it would resume the supply after the inspection was completed, but the suspension of the supply was seen as Russia's shaking of the European side, and the German government issued a statement that it was "watching the situation carefully."



In response to this, the price of natural gas rose in the European market on the 19th, and the index price called "Dutch TTF" temporarily rose by more than 8% from the start of trading, exceeding 250 euros per MWh. rice field.

UN secretary-general visits southern Odesa port, determined to increase grain exports

UN Secretary-General Guterres, who is visiting Ukraine, inspected the loading of Ukrainian wheat on a ship at the port of Odesa in the south on the 19th.



Last month, Russia and Ukraine agreed to resume exports of Ukrainian agricultural products through the mediation of Turkey and the United Nations, and according to the United Nations, more than 600,000 tons of grain have been transported from the port of Odesa so far.



Secretary-General Guterres told reporters, "This is the hope of the most vulnerable people in the world." rice field.



After that, he said, ``It is extremely important to bring more food and fertilizer out of Ukraine and Russia to lower prices,'' and to stabilize world food prices, it is also necessary to resume exports of Russian food and fertilizer. I emphasized the idea that it was necessary.

One of Putin's closest aides criticizes Japan by name

At a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization held in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, on the 19th, one of Russian President Putin's closest aides, Patrushev, secretary of the Security Council, pointed out Japan as a "global leader" while criticizing the United States. They are desperate to take a leading position in the Russophobic movement."



Mr. Patrushev argued that the United States and its allies ``rely on shameless lies, including rewriting history, without hesitation to justify diplomatic adventures. One example is Japan.''



Mr. Patrushev, who once served as head of a security agency and is known as a representative of hardliners, unilaterally accused Japan last month of ``increasing retaliatory intentions'' over the Northern Territories. It can be seen that there is growing dissatisfaction with Japan's imposition of sanctions in line with the West in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

French President Vladimir Putin talks over nuclear power plant in Russia

According to the French presidential office, in a telephone conversation, President Macron expressed concern to President Putin that the safety of the nuclear power plant and its surroundings was threatened by the continuous shelling.



On the other hand, according to the Russian president's office, Putin said that the Ukrainian military was bombarding the nuclear power plant and stressed that it could lead to widespread radioactive contamination.



The two leaders agreed on the importance of the early dispatch of a survey team by the IAEA = International Atomic Energy Agency, and the French president's office said that the two leaders will discuss again before dispatching the survey team.



United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for a halt to military action and the withdrawal of troops from the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, but Russia has refused, arguing that "the safety of the nuclear power plant will be further weakened."